National Briefing | Washington: Government Orders Data On Airline Passengers

Published: November 13, 2004

The government ordered airlines to give it personal information on passengers who flew in the United States in June to test a new system for identifying potential terrorists. The system compares the information with names on two government watch lists, a ''no fly'' list of known terrorists or those suspected of terrorism and a list of people who require more scrutiny before boarding. The order followed 30 days of public comment. An overwhelming majority of 500 people who commented opposed releasing the information, saying it would invade privacy and infringe on civil liberties.